growing up with my sweet curly top

Archive for June, 2010

pencil head creative studio is a team of young freelance writers and artists who love to do creative stuff, go to the beach, eat wonderful food, and take nice pictures. if you have any web content, graphic design, or flash animation needs, get in touch with us!

my kid worships spider-man, ben 10, iron man, and almost every superhero he gets to watch on cartoon network or nickelodeon. he would eat everything i tell him that these superheroes eat just so he would get the same “superpowers” that they have. and by everything, i mean even the bitter ampalaya that most kids love to spit out.

but sometimes i want to tell him “hey kulot, the real superhero is right in front of you!”

the octo-mom (no other than me, of course) has more superpowers than all these superheroes combined. i mean, seriously, can ben 10 or iron man wash clothes, cook lunch, write 10 to 15 articles, manage an online creative studio, clean the house, go grocery shopping, pay the bills, take care of a tornado kid, and color disney coloring books all the same time? i doubt! (well, yeah, maybe flash can but mikkel doesn’t know about him so shussh!)

on top of these, there are always those pleas for help:

“mom, i hurt my finger!”

“mahal, i can’t find my shirt!”

“mom, i’m hungry!”

“mahal, where is my shaver?”

“mom, my workbook is missing!”

despite the piles of work to do, i zoom and fly to rescue my two curly tops from whatever big or small problem they have.

being a working mom is not easy. and most of the time, your efforts go unnoticed too. it’s like you’re expected to be a robot to perform all these duties flawlessly that sometimes you just want to scream, “hey, i am human too!”

but even if sometimes the feat seems too big even for a superhero, it doesn’t matter. all it would take is a sweet thank you from mikkel or a short hug from mike, and i’m back on my feet as the octo-mom ready to save the day!

the sad thing about talent is that sometimes, it never gets discovered. it continues to be buried for such a long time that the owner of the talent never realizes that he has it. this does not need to happen with your child if only you would be able to provide excellent opportunitues for discovering his untapped gifts. how do you do that?

here are some effective ways i know:

1. let your kid play. play is child’s work. it is through play that he learns various skills and lessons crucial for his proper development. but aside from that, it is also through play that he learns where he is good at. make sure you give him the right educational toys to aid him in skill and talent discovery.

2. allow your kid to be himself. don’t expect your kid to grow up exactly the way you are. mikkel looks exactly like his dad but we never want to make the impression that he can only be good at things that mike or i are good at. i suck in math but if mikkel grows up to become a math whiz, why not?! while his dad is an artist, if mikkel grows up to become a scientist, we won’t stop him.

3. never pressure your kid. your kid is just a kid. if you make him do hundreds of extra-curricular activities a day just so he would become talented, you are only going to make him feel that all of these is a chore, instead of a great learning experience as what they are supposed to be. instead of enrolling him in piano lessons, basketball lessons, dance lessons, voice lessons, math lessons, and drawing lessons all at the same time, ask your kid what he really likes to do. also, make sure there is sufficient time left for family bonding time and for fun and games.

i can’t say i have successfully unraveled all of mikkel’s hidden talents but so far, i have learned that he is good in puzzles, and building blocks. he loves manipulating things and he has adept visual and memory skills. i also noticed that he has a penchant for photography just like his dad. i know mikkel will surprise me with more skills and talents as he grows up but all i want to do is to encourage (but never pressure) him to be the best in whatever he wants to become.

about growing mom

stories about my (mis)adventures as a young mom struggling to learn the art the mommying, insights about motherhood, pregnancy quirks, mommying tricks, priceless lessons, and my whole "growing up" experience not only as a mom but as a wife and writer as well.
life is a never ending process of learning, so is motherhood. watch me grow up with my little curly top.